Bungie has released a statement, the first since the news of layoffs at the Destiny 2 studio broke earlier this week, with around 100 staff impacted. The fallout from the move has led some players to demand refunds for DLC in protest, added to the reportedly delayed Marathon slipping to 2025 and waning player interest, which only compounds matters.
In the statement, Bungie acknowledges "one of the most difficult weeks in our studio's history", as well as "feedback and concerns you have about Lightfall and recent Seasons, as well as your responses to the reveal of The Final Shape. We know we have lost a lot of your trust. Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough, and that’s going to change."
Further, Bungie knows that The Final Shape needs to be an "unforgettable Destiny experience". It directly references Forsaken, The Witch Queen and The Taken King, proclaiming that "these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to."
Whether that's something the studio can deliver on in its present incarnation remains to be seen; Bungie says it has more than 650 "dedicated teammates pouring all their energy and expertise into delivering this epic moment and its subsequent Episodes". Doing some quick napkin math, Bungie reportedly had a headcount of around 1200 before the layoffs, meaning approximately 450 are unaccounted for, presumably working on Marathon or other projects.